Walmart is suing Tesla after its solar panels caught on fire at 7 stores

Walmart Corporate/flickr

Solar energy panels atop a Walmart store

• Walmart has filed a lawsuit against Tesla's solar energy unit in New York state.
• The retail giant alleges solar panels installed by Tesla caught on fire at seven stores.
• Shares of Tesla fell about 0.4% in after-hours trading on Tuesday.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Walmart on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against Tesla, accusing the company's solar-energy subsidiary of gross negligence after multiple stores experienced fires stemming from solar panels on their roofs.

"As of November 2018, no fewer than seven Walmart stores had experienced fires due to Tesla's solar system," the company said in its lawsuit, filed in New York state court.

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Walmart claims that the incidents were linked, and that they were all a result of "widespread negligence" on behalf of Tesla and its employees.

"Tesla has also demonstrated an inability or unwillingness to remediate the dangerous conditions documented in its inspection reports," the complaint says.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Walmart said in the filing that it has leased or licensed roof space at more than 240 stores for solar-energy systems, to be supplied by Tesla.

Shares of Tesla fell about 0.4% in after hour trading following the lawsuit's filing.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates….